Mechanical and electromechanical counters are known for counting the number of times an event occurs. These counters have been used in coin operated amusement machines and gaming devices to count coin intake. These types of counters are also used in automobiles to provide odometer records as well as in various other applications. These counters however can be costly. Further, the count value indicated by these types of counters can be easily tampered with. For example, known counters can be bypassed by merely disconnecting them. The count value of counters employing mechanical counting wheels can be altered by manual movement of the wheels. The count value of mechanical and electromechanical counters can also be altered by subjecting the counter to physical shock. Software counters that count in a binary fashion, i.e., 001, 010, 111 . . . , are also known. The contents of these counters are typically stored in a random access memory, RAM. This type of counter can be tampered with however by reprogramming the count value in the RAM to a lower value.